Charges could be laid over whaling clash

Criminal charges could be laid over a high seas crash which holed an anti-whaling ship.
Australian authorities will investigate the incident, with parallel investigations
to take place in Japan and New Zealand.
Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was a miracle no one was killed when a
Japanese whaling ship and the Ady Gil protest vessel collided on Wednesday.
Ms Gillard has ordered the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to
investigate, and promised to make the findings public.
The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling organisation and the Japanese have released duelling
footage of the crash.
Both appear to show the Ady Gil was moving slowly when the Japanese vessel switched
course and headed for it, running into it and dragging it partially underwater as
activists tumbled over on the deck.
"Having seen the video, it concerns me deeply," Ms Gillard said.
"It seems miraculous to me ... that lives were not lost."
The six crew members - one with broken ribs - were rescued.
Ms Gillard rejected calls to send a government vessel to Antarctica to monitor the
whaling conflicts, saying it would not help.
Michael White, a specialist in maritime law at the University of Queensland, said it
was "fairly likely" charges would be laid over the clash but it was too early to say
against whom.
"Deliberately causing a collision leads to all sorts of criminal charges," Dr White
told AAP.
He said Australia, Japan and NZ could separately investigate whether the crash had
breached the international law of the sea.
Australian authorities could charge whoever was deemed responsible for the crash,
and they would face court if they came into Australia. Australia could also ask
Japan to prosecute an individual.
AMSA will seek information about the incident from both parties - the Sea Shepherd
and the Japanese - as part of its "fact gathering" mission.
Sea Shepherd boss Paul Watson said he would cooperate fully with the investigation
but was not confident about its efficacy.
"The problem is that Japan always refuse to cooperate," Capt Watson told AAP.
He was worried that when bad weather next hit the stricken Ady Gil it would sink.
Activists had removed the vessel's fuel to avoid a leak, and were trying to remove
the ship's engines.
Australian Greens leader Bob Brown did not hold out much hope for the AMSA
investigation, saying it would rely heavily on Japan's side of the story.
He said Japan's position was "based on one whopping lie, that the whaling is for
scientific purposes".
Commercial whaling is banned under international law, but countries can legally hunt
whales for scientific purposes, as Japan does. The meat ends up on dinner plates.
Senator Brown also called on the Australian government to pay to replace the $1.5
million Ady Gil then send the bill to Japan.
Australia is investigating the crash because it happened in Antarctic waters claimed
by Australia, New Zealand because the Ady Gil is registered there and Japan because
a Japanese vessel was involved.